Introducing The Passing Project
When you hear the term “passing,” what do you think of? Maybe you think of academic grades, the literal act of moving past another person, or throwing of a sports ball. For many of us in marginalized groups, passing speaks to something else entirely.
The term “passing” refers to the ability to intentionally disappear into an identity or category to which we don’t actually belong. These identities can include our sexuality, socio-economic class, gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, and disability status. While passing is always intentional, presenting is not. Presenting refers to an identity society assumes of us and may happen without our knowledge or consent. For example, when people outside of the LGBTQ+ community assume a queer woman is straight, that woman is presenting as heterosexual, if they ( the queer woman), are intentionally wanting to present as heterosexual, they are passing.
Historically, passing has often been a method of survival. Black individuals, Indigenous individuals, and people of color (BIPOC) have passed throughout history to preserve their safety and obtain greater opportunities. Perhaps one of the most infamous stories of passing is that of Sally Heming’s children fathered by Thomas Jefferson. At least three of their six offspring (all of whom were born into slavery) took advantage of their opportunity to pass, leaving the difficulty of their Black identity behind to find more opportunity in white society.
Even today, passing continues to be a life jacket for many. In a world rife with racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia, passing allows marginalized folks to hide in plain sight. However, passing isn’t an easy decision: Those who are able to pass must choose between sacrificing community and relationships for the chance at a “better” life or enduring dangerous discrimination along with their peers.
When I moved to Colorado from my home in Puerto Rico, I wasn’t prepared to navigate the United States’ obsession with race. While Puerto Rico is no stranger to racism or colorism, our status as an island colonized by both the Spanish and the Americans has created a general understanding that all of our citizens are of mixed race ancestry. But in the U.S. people seemed to want a clearly defined race: People were categorized as Black or white.
Unprepared and unsure, I found myself assimilating to the white majority, despite my Spanish, enslaved African, and Indigenous Taíno ancestors. Passing meant dulling my personality, lowering my voice, and learning to code-switch. While this charade felt necessary to my survival in a new place, it also cost me a part of myself.
The harm caused by passing can’t be underestimated: Intentional passing requires families and communities to keep quiet to save passing loved ones from danger. The pressure of maintaining the illusion often severs relationships, and leads to deep feelings of unbelonging. Our sense of identity and self are at risk when we don’t feel safe living as who we are. Our culture and history are endangered when our descendants lose sight of who they are. With the appearance of DNA testing, social media is rife with stories of folks discovering racial, ethnic, and religious identities that a vulnerable ancestor chose to bury decades before.
On the flip side, passing can also happen without our consent. The pain of existing unseen by your own people has a unique sort of sting, and leads to the same issues around identity and belonging. That loneliness is dangerous and can severely impact an individual’s mental and physical health.
Passing also perpetuates harmful stereotypes about how a person in any marginalized group “should” look, sound, or behave. Racial passing upholds white supremacy by reinforcing the absolute power of whiteness. Those who pass must fly under the radar in conversations and situations where their own people experience discrimination and harm in order to avoid the same fate themselves.
In the last few years, the U.S. has experienced a racial reckoning, making it easier for us to see, discuss, and examine our history with passing. Today, SimplyLead is introducing The Passing Project as a way for people to share their individual stories and experiences around passing—whether intentional or not. Envisioned as a virtual community space, this will create a safe space for discussing how these experiences impacted us, our relationships, and our larger communities.
Anyone who’s experienced passing is invited to participate by submitting some form of media that communicates your passing story. We encourage you to embrace your creativity and tell your story your way. Submissions can be in the form of an essay, a poem, an illustration, a video, or anything else that gets your story across. Please, join us and share your story today with our virtual submission form. Submissions are ongoing and there is no deadline.
